Dr. Urbansky discusses the challenges faced by Chinese immigrants during the late Tsarist Empire and early Soviet Union, highlighting the racial and cultural prejudices that fueled hostilities in urban settings. His analysis explores how these early interactions shaped the experiences and perceptions of Chinese communities in a rapidly changing socio-political landscape.
The annual ISSS-IS Conference will be held at the University of Pittsburgh from October 24th through October 26th. With participants representing 27 countries, the conference features 38 panels on topics ranging from the use of nuclear weapons to gender warmaking to the strengths and weaknesses of international law to the role of traditional and new media in contemporary international security environment. This conference will feature several panels on security problems in and around Latin America, Africa, Russia and Eastern Europe, and Asia. More than 150 individual papers will be presented over the case of two days.
As part of our partnership with Upper St. Clair, the Center for African Studies arranged a cultural visit featuring Fulbright Scholar Faraja Ngogo. Faraja shared her experiences and insights about Tanzanian culture with approximately 50 middle school students (ages 13–14). The visit provided an opportunity for students to engage directly with a native Swahili speaker, explore East African traditions, and broaden their global understanding through an interactive cultural exchange.
Research Service (CRS), a non-partisan agency that provides information and analysis to Members of the U.S. Congress and their staff. At CRS, Dr. Manyin’s general area of expertise is U.S. foreign economic policy toward East Asia, particularly Japan, the two Koreas, and Vietnam. From 2006-2008 and again in 2013, Dr. Manyin served as the head of the CRS’ 10-person Asia Section, overseeing the Service’s research on East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Australasia, and the Pacific Islands. Prior to joining CRS in 1999, Dr. Manyin completed his Ph.D. in Japanese trade policy and negotiating behavior at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He has written academic articles, given numerous lectures, and taught courses on East Asian international relations.
Emma Chanlett-Avery is Deputy Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute's Washington, DC office and the Director for Political-Security Affairs. Previous to this post, she served for 20 years as a Specialist in Asian Affairs at the Congressional Research Service, where she focused on U.S. relations with Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Thailand, and Singapore, with an emphasis on security issues and alliances. In 2023, she served as a Congressional Fellow on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, assisting the Chairman with drafting Asia policy legislation and preparing for hearings. Ms. Chanlett-Avery was a Presidential Management Fellow, with rotations in the State Department on the Korea Desk and at the Joint U.S. Military Advisory Group in Bangkok, Thailand. She also worked in the Office of Policy Planning as a Harold Rosenthal Fellow. She is a member of the Mansfield Foundation U.S. – Japan Network for the Future and a Mansfield-Luce Asia Network Scholar. In 2016, she received the Kato Prize, awarded by Washington think tanks for strengthening the U.S.-Japan alliance. She serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the National Association of Japan America Societies, Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Japan America Society of Washington DC, and as a Trustee of International Student Conferences, Inc. Ms. Chanlett-Avery received an MA in international security policy from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and her BA in Russian studies from Amherst College.
Mangia con noi! Bring your lunch and chat with us! Pitt students only, all levels welcome!
